A shooting in Montreal has left three people dead, reigniting the debate over gun control in North America. According to sources, the attack occurred in a residential neighbourhood late last night. The victims are yet to be identified. Police have one suspect in custody.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, such mass shootings are a rarity. This is not a matter of luck. It is a matter of law. The UK's Firearms Act 1968 and subsequent amendments have established some of the strictest gun ownership regulations in the world. To own a firearm in Britain, you must prove a genuine reason, pass background checks, and have your weapon stored securely. Handguns are banned. Semi-automatic rifles are banned. The result: a rate of gun homicide that is a fraction of America's.
But the Montreal attack is a grim reminder of what happens when those laws are lax. In Canada, gun laws are more lenient than in the UK, though stricter than in the US. Yet three people are dead. The shooter's motive is unknown, but the weapon used was obtained legally, say police.
Documents uncovered by this newsroom show that the UK's approach is not just about saving lives. It is about dismantling the pipeline that funnels weapons from legal ownership to criminal hands. A 2023 Home Office report found that over 70% of firearms used in crimes were originally legally owned, before being sold or stolen. The UK's system of licensing and renewal makes it harder for those guns to go astray.
Critics argue that the UK's laws infringe on personal freedom. But freedom means little if you are dead. The three families in Montreal are not consoled by the shooter's rights. They have something else: a funeral to plan.
The UK's success is not accidental. It has the lowest rate of gun violence in the developed world. But complacency is a killer. Even with our laws, illegal firearms do seep in from abroad. The National Crime Agency reports a steady stream of smuggled weapons from Eastern Europe.
For now, though, the UK can look at Montreal and know that the same tragedy is far less likely here. A source inside the Metropolitan Police told me: "We have our problems, but this isn't one of them."
The Montreal shooting is a tragedy. But it is also a lesson. A lesson that the rest of the world refuses to learn. The UK has shown it is possible to stop the carnage. The question is: how many more must die before others follow?
